


The top of the Ferris Wheel

by Midnight_Sunrise_63



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: It could be fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff?, also reference to rape/non-con, but it's just in one sentence, but there is angst, it's mostly fluffy at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Sunrise_63/pseuds/Midnight_Sunrise_63
Summary: It's Valentine's day! But that doesn't mean everyone is happy...
Relationships: Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Kudos: 21





	The top of the Ferris Wheel

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you're spending time with your significant other instead of reading my stuff, but if you're lonely... know that I am too. I am as lonely as Markiplier playing Raft. So very, terribly LONELY.

Tendou loved and hated ferris wheels. He loved them because you can see wondrous views without someone getting your line of sight. Yet he hated them because they reminded him of the worst possible memory in his life. And that was the time where his friend had threatened to jump off if Tendou didn’t do exactly what he said. Tendou was fourteen, his friend a year older than him. 

The red haired boy ended up getting raped that night. 

But he tried not to think about it as he thought of the carnivals opening up for Valentine’s Day. He clutched his school bag in his hands, quickening his pace down the sidewalk. As he made for his school, Tendou could see multiple duos, holding hands, laughing, having a good time. He sighed, fiddling with the strap of his bag.

“Well, at least I have volleyball waiting for me,” he muttered as he entered the grand walls of Shiratorizawa Academy. He found his way to the gym, quickly changing into his practice wear. He stepped onto the court, kneeling down to fix his laces before inhaling deeply. He studied the world around him. Ushijima was spiking a ball with Semi setting up for him, whilst Goshoki was doing the same with Shirabu on the opposite side of the gym. 

He grinned, setting his towel and water bottle down before jogging over towards Ushijima. “Wakatoshi-kun, lemme block for ya!”

“Ah, hello Satori,” he gave a tiny wave to him, then nodded towards Semi for another toss.

Tendou readied himself at the receiving end of the net, watching Ushijima’s movements closely. He breathed out, his legs sending him up and hands knocking the ball out of bounds. He flexed his pinkies, smiling at the strength of the hit. It never ceased to amaze him how powerful Ushijima’s spikes were. He could never stop himself from fawning over the ace, and he couldn’t even hope to stop falling farther in love. 

Yet there was the problem. He had fallen and there was no possible way for him to stand back up. He was trapped in the dark abyss of unrequited love, drowning in the inevitable loneliness.

That was the truth, the way it was always going to be. Tendou knew. He knew all about how Ushijima wouldn’t ever focus on anything except volleyball. He knew the ace had to keep climbing up the ladder of success without any distractions. That was why Tendou planned on quitting volleyball after his third year.

But, in order to do that, he needed to make it through this miserable day, and many others to follow. He jumped one final block before their coach called it a day. Tendou skipped to the locker room, humming a song under his breath as he changed for class. He passed by Ushijima on his way out of the locker room, and was about to exit but the ace latched two strong fingers onto his sleeve, holding him back as the rest of the team left.

“Do ya need something, Wakatoshi-kun?” Tendou shifted his head, smiling at him. 

“I am not sure how I am supposed to do this,” Ushijima’s lips flattened into a line. “I asked Semi for assistance, but he did not provide much information on how I should go about this.”

“Ah, if you need help with something, just tell me and I can assist you, okay?” Tendou tilted his head to the side, watching as Ushijima’s eyes thanked him.

“I understand the meaning behind this particular day, but I am not sure how to go about asking a certain question to a certain person,” he explained. “I believe Semi called it ‘asking them out’?”

“Ohh, you want to ask a girl on a date, Wakatoshi-kun?” Tendou’s heart shattered as he spoke, yet upheld his composure. “I can help ya!”

“A girl? I was not aware it had to be a girl. I believe I wish to ‘ask out’ a boy,” Ushijima looked confused. “Is that so wrong? Do I have to ask a girl?”

Tendou shook his head. “No no, asking a boy out is perfectly fine, Wakatoshi-kun. I didn’t know you liked boys, though.”

“Hm, well I feel some sort of attraction to them, indeed,” he hummed. “But how do I ask him?”

“It depends on the person, but I think you should be direct and confident, Wakatoshi-kun! Just like when you spike a ball!” Tendou giggled. “It’ll all turn out fine, don’t worry about it!”

“Mh-hm, okay. Satori, I would like to ask you out,” he said, his tone all too serious.

“Yeah, just say that to them,” Tendou waved his hand towards Ushijima. “You’ll have a great time, Wakatoshi-kun.”

“What do you mean, Satori?”

“I mean just go say that to the person you want to ask out. It’s straightforward and once he accepts, you’ll have a great time. I’ll see you at lunch, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou picked up his bag once again, heaving the locker room door open. 

“Wait, Satori, please wait,” Ushijima followed Tendou outside the room, clearly confused and worried. “Satori, I don’t understand. Why are you walking away?”

“Because I’m not the one you’re asking, Wakatoshi-kun. I know that,” he grinned over his shoulder. “Because you deserve someone so much better than me.” He tapped his toes on the ground, fixing his shoes. “Good luck with him, I wish you all the best.”

“Sa-” he began, but Tendou was already gone down the hall. He sighed. “Satori said he’d always explain things to me when I didn’t understand,” he muttered. “So why did he walk away from me?”

Tendou didn’t change during lunch or afternoon practice. At least, no one noticed. However, Ushijima did. Tendou wasn’t as energetic, his level of enthusiasm waning just a couple hairs so it wasn’t as noticeable. The boy wasn’t avoiding Ushijima, but he was certainly more detached from school and practice. 

The afternoon session ended, and Tendou was the first into the locker rooms. He changed quickly, taking out a pocky stick from his bag and sucking on it between his teeth as he adjusted his bag strap. Just as he went to leave, Ushijima stepped inside. 

“Satori, I want to talk with you, please,” he said quietly, his sadness showing from behind those beautiful irises. “Please, just a few minutes.”

“Alright, meet me outside, then,” he sighed, finishing off the pocky stick and taking another out. “I won’t leave, I’ll stay.”

“Thank you, Satori,” Ushijima released a breath, watching Tendou walk outside. 

The red haired male leaned against the wall, watching as more couples flew by, giggling sweetly. It made him almost sick with jealousy, yet he never let it show on his features. He pushed himself off the wall by his foot as Ushijima came out. 

“Satori, I want you to explain something to me,” Ushijima stood beside him, watching his every move.

“Yeah, I’ll try,” he pushed the final bit of a fifth pocky stick into his mouth, but didn’t reach for another. “What do you need, Wakatoshi-kun?”

“I want you to tell me why you walked away after morning practice.”

“Ah,” he looked down at his feet. “Because I’m not the one for you, Wakatoshi-kun. Even if you were in fact trying to ask me out, I would say no because you can do so much better than me.”

“But Satori, I don’t-”

“It’s okay, Wakatoshi-kun, honestly! Besides, you want to focus on volleyball, dont’cha? I won’t be playing volleyball after high school, so you won’t want anything to do with me anymore,” he shrugged. 

Just as he turned to walk away, Tendou heard a sharp sigh and footsteps follow him. “Satori. I don’t care if you leave volleyball. I don’t want you for that, I want you for you! Why can’t you understand or at least explain it so I can fully understand?”

“I’m sorry, Wakatoshi-kun. It’s just a hard subject to put into words,” he extracted a pocky stick. 

“Tendou Satori, you are the one I want to be with, so please just give me a yes or a no!” Ushijima’s breath hitched.

“I’m sorry, Wakatoshi-kun. But I’m just a distraction. I’m saying no,” he faced the boy. “I love you too much to drag you down.”

Then he walked away. Tendou finished off the box of pocky by the time he reached his destination. The carnival. 

He entered the park, briskly making for the large ferris wheel close to the center of the carnival. He paid for a single ticket, smiling to the clerk before situating himself in his basket. He leaned back, hands behind his head as a pillow. He hummed to himself, the lights flashing around him as he rode to the top. He felt two thick streams of tears down his cheeks and he smiled through them. 

“I’m sorry, Wakatoshi-kun. I just can’t let myself ruin your career for my own selfish reasons,” he sighed, chuckling as the sky darkened. He watched the tiny specs of stars appear as the sun set, casting an orange-pink glow over the clouds. “It’s such a beautiful sight, isn’t it?” Tendou whispered, tugging his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly. He rested his chin between them, his hair drooping to cover his ears and part of his forehead.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty view,” he answered, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. “To think that in every other basket on this wheel, there are two people. I must look like such a loser, huh?”

He laughed out loud. “Of course I look like one! Because it’s simply the truth.” 

The wheel was brought to a stop, with Tendou’s basket on the very bottom. He hummed, looking up to see none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi climbing into the basket with him. It started up again, taking them to the top slowly.

“Oh, hello, Wakatoshi-kun. Come to see the sunset?” he wiped his face, picking at the dried tear tracks on his cheeks.

“Satori, I don’t want a life if it’s not with you because you are the one who keeps me going no matter what.”

“Very straightforward like always, Wakatoshi-kun,” he grinned. “But please, save those words for someone who’s actually going to help you in life.”

“But I don’t want someone who’s only going to be beneficial for me. I want someone who’s going to completely understand me and stand by my side forever,” Ushijima switched from sitting across Tendou to seating himself right next to the boy. “Please,” he grasped his hands, gently squeezing them. “Please, Satori. I need you to stay in my life, I want you to.”

Tendou leaned his forehead on Ushijima’s shoulder, sighing deeply. “You won’t take no for an answer, will you, Wakatoshi-kun?”

“No, because I don’t understand why you’re putting yourself down. You’re the best person I’ve ever met, Satori. I don’t want anyone else because I’ve already met you.” In his eyes, there was no lie.

“You’ll get bored of me pretty quickly, Wakatoshi-kun,” he deadpanned, shifting his position to peek up through his crimson bangs.

“Never in a million years, Satori. I don’t ever want to let you go, because I know it’s going to hurt,” he opened his arms, and Tendou sank into the embrace. “And I don’t want you to hurt either.”

The basket slowed to a halt, this time, on the very top of the wheel. Tendou shivered at the memories of his last ferris wheel experience, but he just leaned deeper into Ushijima’s side. “Ask me again, Wakatoshi-kun.”

“Satori, I would like to ask you out,” he replied with no hesitation, as if he was just awaiting the gunshot to signal him to run.

“Yes, I’ll go out with you, Wakatoshi-kun.” 

Tendou loved and hated ferris wheels. But once he was with the correct person, his love for the ride grew. He almost completely forgot about his last incident, and he actually had hope for himself for the first time in a very long time.  _ Being with Wakatoshi-kun is selfish, but at least… at least I’m going to be happy. That’s the only thing I need. _

**Author's Note:**

> I'm proud of myself! I'm learning the ropes of AO3 and starting to understand how to use everything! :D


End file.
